Taming the Pirate King
by Kurogane7
Summary: A/U: Yuffie Kisaragi is assisting the AVALANCHE Rebels in their war against Shinra. A terrible storm blows her into the domain of the dreaded Pirate King. Will she be able to convince him to choose a side in the war, or will he remain apathetic to the war? LAST MODERN ATTEMPT AT YUFFENTINE! STEAMPUNK PIRATES! Rated T for now...
1. Storm

_**A/N: This will be my last attempt at Yuffentine. A bit short, but this is done as a bit of a pilot episode. How many reviews I get will determine if this idea is worth pursuing in the future, so do read and review, would you kindly?**_

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{Play: "Keeping Pace", from "Darksiders"}

[Somewhere on the Oceans]

Storms raged as the waves crashed against the ship like a god making his wrath known on the open seas. It was bad news for one person on the ship, as she was trying her hardest to avoid getting sick all over the deck. She was a young, stick-like thing in her teens with a boyish appearance. While her skin would normally be of a healthy tan, it was currently pale from motion sickness. At her side was a large four-point shuriken that she was more than proficient with, but she kept a heavy combat knife and a revolver with a quick trigger for emergencies.

"Don't you dare barf on the floor Princess," warned a crewmember, "you may be an important officer in the rebellion, but the captain will kill you for that."

"Tell me something I don't know." the girl snipped back, before emptying her dinner into a bucket. For all the advancements brought about by steam power, there was no technology designed to fight motion sickness.

The war between Midgard and the AVALANCHE Rebels had taken on an ugly turn after the latter had managed to secure an alliance with the Empire of Wutai. This was mainly due to the fact that the Rebels had revealed to Emperor Godo that the empress's death was an assassination orchestrated by President Shinra of Midgard. They did not find out about this scandal until a few months after he signed a peace treaty and a trade agreement with Shinra, but the implications had infuriated the emperor . As furious as he was, he knew that breaking off on the peace treaty and trade agreement would spell death for his country…and so Godo assisted the AVALANCHE Rebels in secret as a form of revenge for his slain wife.

This meant that officially, Kisaragi Yuffie, crown-princess of the Empire, was not on an AVALANCHE steamship, fighting battles with her fellow Wutainese warriors against Midgard while disguised as Midgard sailors. In any case, due to her status as a princess, she was not even supposed to be in this war at all. But seeing as she was too far in the war to be pulled out by her father, he had no choice but to allow her to continue the fight as her presence had brought morale up for the rebels.

Yuffie's thoughts were cut short the second she heard sailors rushing around

"What's going on?" she asked, catching a crew member's attention.

"The storm's too strong. We're going to have to land on a nearby island."

"What's the problem with that?"

"We're in Pirate Kingdom waters."

As she let the idea sink in, Yuffie's eyes had widened in shock. The Pirate Kingdom was a cluster islands between that marked the halfway point between Wutai and Midgard. As the name implied, the area was home to a few colonies of pirates that banded together and formed an unofficial nation. In general, if one were forced to land on any island in that region, their best hope was that the pirates didn't notice their arrival and that the island in question only had wildlife on it. Unfortunately, the storm was so bad that all choice had flown out the window. "Do we know where we're landing?"

"If we're lucky, we'll land on Port Samael to re-stock and recruit."

Yuffie knew that the crewman was using the word 'lucky' very lightly. Port Samael was located on Skull Island, the 'capital' of the Pirate Kingdom. The location was literally an island in the abstract shape of a screaming human skull, and the port in question was situated on the 'teeth.' There were so many ways to die there, that it was no surprise the place used to be a penal colony: Death Gigas gorillas that could hug its victims to death, Hellmasker octopi with highly toxic venom, and even weak spots the ground hid underground caves with sharp stalactites at the bottom.

Rumor had it that Port Samael was born when the prisoners broke out, struck down the guards, and then rebuilt port. Now, it became the center of a wretched hive of scum and villainy that took on a good number of pirates, exiles, and even fugitives among their number. While there was no law in that part of the world, there was only one person that nobody dared to mess with. The so-called "Pirate King" ruled from Skull Island, and it was said that he reigned over both the people and the beasts of the island. Very few people outside of the Pirate Kingdom ever saw his face, and even fewer things have escaped the notice of his spies. If one considered the library of highly valuable secrets he supposedly held, and the blood spilled to keep them safe, they could consider him the greatest information broker to ever live. It was because of this spy ring that neither Wutai, Midgard, nor AVALANCHE dared to lay a hand on Skull Island; the information the Pirate King held was worth more than its own weight in gold, and they were willing to pay through the nose to buy those secrets.

 _That's be just great,_ Yuffie thought to herself, grinning at the prospect, _If I can meet with the Pirate King, maybe we can discuss terms for buying information. The only question is, where can I find him? But first things first; we've got to land at Port Samael._

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 _ **A/N: And we're done.**_


	2. Don't Mess with Vincent

_**A/N: Okay, as I predicted, this story is lost in a sea of Yuffentines, but as I still have a few fans, I will do another chapter. How many reviews I get will determine if this idea is worth pursuing in the future, so do read and review, would you kindly?**_

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[Port Samael]

The sight that awaited the AVALANCHE ship "Highwind" was what one would typically associate with a port, if one remembered that a lot of people on this island, especially non-natives, were scum-of-the-earth types. People could be seen and heard going about their business as the streets of Port Samael were alive with a variety of activity. Midgard vessels were never welcome, but everyone else's ships were welcome to set anchor here so long as they behaved themselves. This was directed more at the Pirates that often made port here, but everyone in general knew not to make trouble lest they incur the wrath of the Pirate King. Nothing ever happened on Skull Island without his notice, and his spies just so happen to be exceptionally good at their job.

"Okay people, listen the fuck up!" Captain Highwind called out, addressing the crew from his perch. "We're only here recruit and resupply, then we're getting the fuck out of here. We're on a shitty timetable for the next raid, so don't buy too much shit If any of you shitheads are staying behind to gamble, then I'm leaving your asses behind."

"AYE SIR!"

As the ramp lowered to the docks, the entire crew rushed out. They had at least an hour before the captain left them behind, so they had a small amount of time to gather the necessary materials. Exiting the ship were two men, both of whom were exceptionally well-built, and carried swords that were much larger than themselves. One of them had black hair with a very gentle disposition about him. There was a sort of mischief in his green eyes, combined with wisdom…it gave the impression of an older brother that you could confide in.

The other was a blond with younger features. His clear blue eyes had a sort of innocence and naivete about them that made it obvious that he was new to the field of battle. However, the way he carried himself bespoke of some time fighting for his life.

"You ready for this Cloud?" asked the black-haired man.

"Just as soon as Yuffie comes on down with us." the blond named Cloud answered. The two of them watched as the girl in question hobbled down the ramp. The second her feet touched the ground, she had fully regained the energy she was known to have. "Feeling better?"

"Much."

The three of them turned to leave the docks when they noticed someone standing in front of them. He wore a torn white shirt underneath a silken vest, a pair of beige pants and a black bowler. Hints of corded muscle restrained by dark skin could be seen underneath, and his eyes were hidden behind sunglasses. "G'day!" said the man, tipping his bowler respectfully, "Sorry 'bout the scare, mates. The name's Rude, I was told to see you lot here."

"What about?" asked Cloud, his hand going for the hilt of his sword. He would've gotten there if his black-haired friend had not stopped him.

"The Pirate King wants to see you lot."

Everyone's eyes had widened upon hearing that. "That's odd," said the black-haired man, "Last I heard, the Pirate King never really made appointments."

"Yeah, well when AVALANCHE's best fighters show up, I'd make an exception too Mr. Fair."

"We'll see the Pirate King when we want to see him!" snapped Yuffie.

Rude regarded Yuffie with a death glare, making her regret her words. "You'd best watch your mouth around here, sheila; princess or not, you mouth off around here, and you're likely to find your bloody arse in a barbie. Now when the bloody Pirate King makes an appointment for you, you bloody _don't_ make him wait. You lot are going to follow me; we're going to the Devil's Watering Hole."

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[En Route to the Devil's Watering Hole]

As the four of them walked through the streets of Port Samael, they were reminded of why the place was considered a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Port Samael was a penal colony where both Wutai and Midgard dumped a lot of their prisoners. Those prisoners eventually met the natives of Skull Island, which led to a hostile first contact between them. She saw those natives walking amongst as equals: they had very tall, lithe and graceful bodies like cats; long, pointed, catlike ears that streamed backwards; and their eyes glowed a bit in hot colors of yellows, oranges, and reds.

From what Yuffie remembered, the Dark Elf tribes were an ancient race of people. They had existed for a while, and were on the same family tree as the Cetra (known by some as the High Elves). While they tended to rely on more traditional weapons, the Dark Elves had spent a long life hunting, gathering, and surviving in their hellhole of an island for generations with sharp senses and deadly aim, making them by far the best snipers and survivalists in the world. And like the Cetra, they were a long-lived people, living up to at least 600 years of age.

Before long, the three of them had stopped.

"We're here." said Rude.

{Play: "Callista" by Saki Kaskas from "Mass Effect 2"}

The building that Rude had brought the three of them to was a very large building. It looked like a high-class pub, but one could hear the music emanating from it, as well as the singing. As they entered, they saw the place from within: wenches were making their living singing and dancing in revealing clothes, while ladies and gentlemen of all acceptable ages were watching with rapt attention. It was a sight that disturbed Yuffie to no end as they ascended the stairs.

Rude opened the door, beckoning them to enter a richly-decorated room. Walking through to the center of the room, they could see that the impression it gave was that a nobleman lived here, and it would've been empty if it weren't for someone with long, black hair standing at the balcony of a dais, looking downwards at the scene in the pub. Even though his back was to them, the pointed ears protruding from the sides of his head had revealed him to be one of the Dark Elves, and he wore a deep red leather overcoat with a long tail.

"That's close enough." he suddenly said, stopping everyone in their tracks.

The sound of gun hammers cocking filled the air as the bodyguards in the room aimed their revolvers at the three AVALANCHE members. One of them, a well-endowed woman with claret eyes nodded at Cloud with a silent 'I don't think so' look on her face.

A single nod of the elf's head had told the buxom woman to frisk the three of them. "Stand still."

"I've nothing to hide." Fair said tersely, as the woman had finished frisking him to begin her work on Cloud.

"Can't be too careful with the great Zack Fair and AVALANCHE in this world." said the elf.

"They're clean." said the woman, having finished frisking Yuffie. The silent nod she gave made it clear that only Zack was allowed to through. As he turned back to face them, she could see him for how he looked; the way he carried himself was like a nobleman, and he had pallid skin to match that of the human woman that frisked her. His eyes were a glowing red, and his hair was held up by a red bandana. His clothes underneath were completely black, and his sleeves hid his arms.

Zack took tentative steps towards the elf, stopping just close enough to him. "I was told you're the person to talk to about questions."

"Depends on the questions." answered the elf.

"Am I to understand you _rule_ Skull Island?"

The elf chuckled slightly. "I _am_ Skull Island!" He then turned to regard Zack with an appraising gaze. "But you need more. Everyone needs more something, and they all come to me. I'm the boss, the president, King if you like. Skull Island has no titled ruler, and only one rule…" He then sat on a nearby sofa, regarding them with a sharp glare. "Don't…fuck…with Vincent."

"I like it," answered Zack, "Very easy to remember."

"If you forget, then I'll send someone to remind you." Vincent replied blithely.

"Then I toss your sorry arses to the fishes." Rude finished.

When it was clear to him that the three of them understood, Vincent motioned for Zack to have a seat in the sofa next to his. Once he graciously took the seat, the Pirate King of Skull Island reclined in his own chair. "So, what brings AVALANCHE to my island?"

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 _ **A/N: And we're done. I wonder how many Mass Effect players caught that bit at the end…?**_

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 _ **Cameos and References:**_

 _ **Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy━a quote from "Star Wars: A New Hope" where Obi Wan says "you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" about Mos Eisley Spaceport.**_

 _ **Skull Island━taken from "King Kong", but added a lot of inspiration from Real-Life Australia and Tortuga from "Pirates of the Caribbean". You could also call it the Omega of this story.**_

 _ **Exchange between Zack and Vincent━Mass Effect 2…just cast Zack as Shepard, and Vincent as Aria.**_


End file.
